Spring Ain’t Just about Tulips
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, along with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.”
Spring is in the air. I wrote this sentence and thought I would prepare a cute devotion to the new growth in the spring season. I thought there would be an inspiring spring passage in the Song of Solomon or the Psalms. I was mistaken-most scriptures in the Old and New Testaments address not the season but the watering hole. Even more surprising, the few passages that speak of the season often speak of spring as a time for war.
I assume the weather was not the best time for the ancient armies to go to war. Even in the areas around Palestine, the winter weather would not be best for moving hundreds or thousands of soldiers and their gear, food, and weaponry any distance. My second trip to Israel was in March, and I was shocked by the amount of rain and that flooding was rampant because the desert ground was hard, causing the water to run off rather than sink into the soil.
In the ancient world, winter was when resources that sustain life were limited, which means trying to spend the extra resources to feed a waring army was not sustainable. In the 2 Chronicles passage, we also find that kings were often crowned in the spring of the year. Newly crowned kings mean it was sometimes politically inappropriate to go to war when a new king might change the political environment.
Since spring brings wars as well as renewal, it is essential to meet our new season of spring with a prayerful heart. This spring is bringing an increase in the war to Ukraine. Wars take many forms, including school shootings and increased destruction of the family through illegal and legalized gambling. Prayerfully consider the wars that impact you and those around you this spring. Ask God to bring divine peace and springlike renewal so all will feel the joy of life and new growth in God’s peace-filled creation.
